-- US equity indexes rose in midday trading on Tuesday as crude oil futures slumped after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the ceasefire agreement with Iran remains in force.
The Nasdaq Composite traded 0.9% higher at 25,295.1, after touching a record 25,335.40 intraday. The S&P 500 climbed 0.7% to 7,252.3, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.5% to 49,187.7.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking at a Tuesday morning press conference, said the Iran ceasefire remains in effect while promising to continue to press ahead with opening the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for about a fifth of global crude oil flows.
At the Pentagon press briefing, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Iran's military actions didn't rise to the level of restarting the war, according to The Wall Street Journal. "No adversary should mistake our current restraint for a lack of resolve."
The statements follow Tehran's strikes in the Strait of Hormuz and the United Arab Emirates on Monday, fueling concern that the Iran ceasefire was at risk of falling apart. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump told congressional leaders that "hostilities" with Iran have "terminated," addressing a critical 60-day deadline under a decades-old law meant to limit the use of military force without authorization from Congress, CBS News reported.
West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures dropped 4% to $102.18, and Brent crude futures slumped 3.1% to $110.92.